Sampling-tube.



No. 766,205. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

' L. W. WALTER.

SAMPLING TUBE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23. 1903.

no MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEE IV. W'ALTER, OF IVHEELING, IVEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOLOUIS F. HALLER, OF \VHEELING, \VEST VIRGINIA.

SAMPLING-TUBE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,205, dated August2, 1904.

Application filed November 23, 1903. Serial No. 182,360. (No model.)

To all whom it wmy concern.-

Be it known that I, LEE IVNVALTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at WVheeling, in the county of Ohio, State of'West Virginia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sampling-Tubes; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which IO it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to sampling-tubes such as are employed forabstracting a sample of a material in bulk or packages, the object ofthe invention being to provide a device 5 which will be particularlyadapted for use in connection with bolted solids, such asplasterof-paris, cement, and similar materials.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a sampling-tube, showing asimple embodiment of the broad invention. Fig. 2 is a view similar toFig. 1, showing a tube 5 having a valve located permanently at one endof the tube. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and 2, showing a tubehaving a valve which is adapted to be shifted longitudinally within thetube.

3 Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1thereof, there is illustrated an embodiment of the invention consistingof a cylindrical tube 5, which in its operation is passed longitudinallyinto a body of material to be sampled, so that a portion of saidmaterial will enter the tube and when the tube is withdrawn thecontained material will remain in the tube and be withdrawn with it,after which it may be dumped out of 4 the tube and represent a truesample of the material from which it was taken.

It will be understood that as the tube is withdrawn from the bulk ofmaterial there is a suction created, owing to the tendency to form avacuum, and this suction in practice acts to withdraw the material fromthe tube. If the outer end of the tube be closed, then by reason of thefact that no air can enter above the sample the sample within the tubewill not be withdrawn from it, but will 5 be withdrawn with the tube.

To facilitate closure of the outer end of the tube,the latter istapered,and centrally thereof is formed an air-passage 6 of such size asto permit free passage of airfrom the tube dur- 5 5 ing the process ofinsertion of the latter into the material to be sampled, the diameter ofthis air-passage being such that it may be covered by the thumb of theoperator to prevent ingress of air when the tube is withdrawn from thematerial. The extreme end of the tube surrounding the air-passage issmooth, so that the thumb may be held over the air-passage and form anair-tight closure therefor.

To facilitate application and removal of the 5 tube, handles 7 and 8 aresecured at opposite sides of the tube directly adjacent to the taperedportion thereof, these handles being of any desired shape.

In the operation of this form of tube an 7 opening is made in thepackage to be sampled, the tube is passed longitudinally into the bulkof material with the air-passage open, the thumb is then placed over theouter end of the air-passage, and the tube is then withdrawn, when itwill be found to contain a sample of the materiahwhich may be thenremoved and tested in the usual manner.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings there is shown a form of the inventionincluding a tube 10, corresponding to tube 5, having one end tapered, asshown at 11, and having at opposite sides adjacent to the taperedportion the handles 12 and 13. Through the tapered end portion is an airpassage 14 of lesser diameter than 5 the body of the tube, and at theinner end of which passage is a valve-seat 15, above which are threads16. A valve 17 is arranged to engage the seat to close the air-passage,this valve opening outwardly and being held nor- 9 mally and yieldablyin its seat by means of a helical spring 17, which bears at one endagainst the valve and at the opposite end against a plug 18, that isengaged with the thread 16. The plug has a central passage 19therethrough, through which is loosely passed the stem 20 of the valve,said stem havmg a handle 21 at its upper end, which may be grasped toraise the valve when desired. With this form of the invention instead ofclosing the air-passage by means of the thumb of the operator it isnormally closed by the valve. When the tube is introduced in the bulk ofmaterial to be sampled, the material entering the tube will force theair in the tube past the valve and out through the air-passage,providing the spring is under proper tension, and when the tube iswithdrawn from the bulk of material the suction, in connection with thespring, will serve to set the valve firmly in its seat and close theair-passage, thus preventing ingress of air. It will of course beunderstood that the valve may be manually operated, if desired.

It is found in practice that it is desired at times to remove from a bina sample of material when the depth of material in the bin is less thanthe length of the tube. The result is that if a tube such as shown inFigs. 1 and 2 is passed downwardly into the material in the bin therewill be left an air-space between the upper end of the tube and thelevel of the sample in the tube. If the tube is then raised from thematerial, the suction will serve to expand the air above the sample tosuch an extent as to permit a portion of the sample to pass from thetube. The construction illustrated in Fig. 3 is provided to eliminatethis air-space.

Referring now to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that thesampler in this instance consists of a tube 30, similar to the tubes 5and 10, through the upper end of which is slidably passed a tubularpiston-rod 32, having fixed thereon just above its lower end a disk 33.An expansible piston 34: is mounted upon the hollow rod and bearsagainst the lower face of the disk, the lower end of the pistonprojecting below the piston-rod and having a conical recess 35 in itslower end, with which the bore of the hollow piston-rod communicates.Through the hollow piston-rod is passed a rod 37 having at its lower enda conical plug 38, which is adapted to enter the recess 35 and whendrawn thereinto to expand the piston into close contact with the innerface of the tube 30. To thus draw the plug into the recess, the upperend of the rod 37 is threaded and a thumb-nut 39 is engaged therewith.When this thumb-nut is screwed down into contact with the hollowpiston-rod, the rod 37 is drawn upwardly and the plug is pressed beingthen no air-space between the piston and sample, the tube may bewithdrawn, and the entire sample will be removed with it.

It will be understood that in practice other modifications may be madeand any suitable materials and proportions may be used for the variousparts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is 1. A sampling-tube comprising a body portion havingan open end for ingress and egress of the sample and means forhermetically closing the body portion above said end, the interiordiameter of said open end being the same as that of the body portion, topermit the tube to cut from a solid body a sample to fill the interiorof the body.

2. A sampling-tube comprising a body portion of constant diameter havingan open end for ingress and egress of the sample and means forhermetically closing the body portion above said end, the closing meansbeing shiftable longitudinally of the body portion.

3. A sampling-tube having an inlet for the sample at one end and havingan air-passage at the opposite end, an inflexible piston within the tubebetween said inlet and passage, and means extending exteriorly of thetube for expanding the piston, said piston being shiftablelongitudinally of the tube and being adapted when expanded to close thetube.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEE WV. WALTER.

Witnesses:

J os. H. BLAOKWOOD, GEo. H. CHANDLEE.

